Swiss town gains Chevrolet statue

One of motor racing's founding fathers is to be commemorated with a new statue, according to officials.

A huge steel bust of Louis-Joseph Chevrolet, the Swiss-born founder of the iconic American racing brand, will be hosted by the racing driver's hometown of La Chaux-de-Fonds after winning a design competition run by town officials.

The final stages of the competition, which was launched last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Chevrolet brand, saw four finalists compete for approval from a panel of experts.

The winning design, put together by Christian Gozenbach, saw off competition from Lang/Baumann, Costas Varotsos and Olivier Mosset and Sylvie Fleury and will soon take pride of place in the Parc de l'Ouest in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Commenting on the new project, Chevrolet Europe's president and managing director, Susan Docherty, said: "Christian Gozenbach has created a work of art which the [selection panel] found the most emotionally engaging of the four unique proposals."